Electric toaster



M. F. FITZGERALD.

ELECTRIC TOASTER.

APPLICATION FILED IAN. I3, I92I.

M. F. FITZGERALD.

ELECTRIC TOASTER. IPPLIcATIoII FILED IAN. I3. I92I.

Patented Aug. 15, 1922'.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I I I I I I Ir Um'rjan 'A'TENT OFFICE.

MAURICE F. FITZGERALD,

PORAT-ION OF CONNECTICUT.

y OF WINSTED, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE FITZ- GERALD MANUFACTURING COMPANY,

OF TORRINGTON, CONNECTICUT, A COR- ELnc'rnIc Toas'rnn.

Speciflcationof Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 15, 1922.

Apnlication led January 13, 1921. SerialNo. 436,928.

-certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Toasters, of which the following is a description, reference being had. to the accompanying drawing and to the figures of reference marked thereon. This invention relates to electric toasters for bread, and more particularly to the mechanism for presenting Aboth sides of a slice of bread to the source of radiant heat. One of the objects of this invention is to providea device of the above character in which there is provided a member hinged to the support so as to swing ,away from the source of radiant heat, together with a slice holder pivotally mounted onl said hinged member and adapted to be rotated about its pivot when the swinging member is swung outwardlyso that either side of the slice may be presented to the source of radiant heat. i

Another object of this invention is to provide a device of the above character in which the slice holder is pivotally mounted on a member having in turn a hinged connection to one of which the usual source of radiant heat is located, together with an operating member connected to both the swinging member and to the slice holder, whereby when this operating member is moved in the larc of a circle to swing the member outwardly, it may also beV given a slight rotary motion to thereby rotate the sice holder on its pivot so that the opposi e side of the slice may be presented to the source of lradiant heat.

A further object of this invention is to provide a, toast holder of the above character which is of lsturdy construction, of few parts, and simple in operation.

These and other objects will in part be obvious and will in part be hereinafter more lfully disclosed.

Referring more particularly to' theV accompanyingdrawings:-.

l,Figure 1 represents a the toaster;

Fig. 2 is a plan view there@ withI @he side elevation of 4top plate broken away;

3 is an end sectional view; and

Flg. 4 1s a sectional View on the line 4.--4 of Fig. l.

In general, the device comprises the usual open-faced standard, provided with supportlng .means for the source of radiant heat for providing opposed heating surfaces. To this' support, in anyY desired manner, is

, hingedly mounted a bracket member adapt- .from said source of heat and pivotally mounted on the outer portion of this swinglng bracket is a slice holder'of any desired type. The pivotal connection between the swinging arm and slice holder is provided with an operating knob or4 handle so that when the same is grasped and swung-outwardly, the swinging member will move in the. arc of a circle to open position, at which time by a slight rotation of' the operating handle, the slice holder can be rotated on its pivot so that either side of theslice may be presented to the source of heat when the member is swung back into position.

Referringmore particularly to the accompanying drawing, the device embraces the usual y.base 1 adapted to support, in'space'd relation the present instance, these end plates are secured to the base by forming each end plate with spaced ears 2 and 3 adapted to enter corresponding slots'4 andv 5 in the base.v The inner-)faces -of these spaced ears or proJections 2 and 3 are notched to recelvea locking member 6 preferably form of a metal strip. etween these two end plates 7 and 8, there is fastened the lower support for the source of radiant heat, which, in the present instance, is the usual electric heating coil. This support com prises an .inverted cradle-shaped member 9 provided with ears 10, through which screws 11 pass linto the end plates whereby the support is held in fixed position. This lower support is; provided with` any desirable means for sustaining the heating coil in imfixed position land is also provided with the usual electrical contacts 12 andA 13. Between the upper portion'of these end plates lis arranged the upper support 14 for the heating coil which is preferably identical in. 'con-` struction with the lower one, but reversed in thev ed to swing in the arc of a circle away i the usual end plates 7 and 8. In

vided with holes 16 for a purpose hereinafter set forth., The usualflat top plate 17 for the toaster is slotted as at 18 and 19 to provide av downwardly Jbent tongue .20, likewise perforated. ln assembled relation y the upper support vis located between the -injuring the same. 7 l

twoslde plates and the flat top rests upon the upper support, and the fastening screws.

21 pass through registering perforations in the downwardly bent tongues of the upper support,lwhereby these three members are held in assembled position lby these fastenscrews.

25 toexactly conform to the curvature of the 4- upper vand lower supports, .each one of these spacing plates, however, beingv held in assembled position byears 26 passing throughl slots 27 in the lower heatingcoil supportV 9. These-spacing plates are provided with parallel rows of .spaced perforations 28 and 29 into which are lodged the rods 30-which l form a guard for the electric heating coil and also prevent the slice holder from swing'- 1n lin order to present the slice of bread or other object to the electric heating coil or other source of radiant heat, so that either or any side of the slice may be presented thereto at the will of the operator, the brackets or swinging members 31 are hinged or pivotally mounted to the support so as to swing outwardly -or away from the source of heat. While these swinging arms may be hinged directly to the base on` the horizontally arranged hinged` connection, in the present instance, it isv preferred to pivot them by means of the spaced hinges 32 and 33 to the end plate, as, shown. Fastened to each side of the end plate between the hinges 1s a plate 34c having an outwardly bent portion 35 adapted to limit the outward swing- 1ng movement of the swinging member 31.

As will be noted, in the present instance,thev

opposed slice holders are mounted identically on each side of the same end plate, by which construction a single spring 36 attached to the swinging arms 31 will sufiice to keep these swinging arms in innermost lpostlon spaced from the source of lradiant llt will, of course, be obvious that one swlnging arm 31 may be mounted on one end plate, and the other swinging arm mounted on the other end plate, in which instance, two sprlngs would have to be used'.

The open-ended slice holders 37 may be of any deslred shape and construction, andare providedwith upper and lower pivotal pins 38 and respectively, preferably formed mtermedmteythe ends of the slice ladders,

into contact with the heating coil andV which pivotally engage corresponding per` conducting operating knobs or handles 40 l and 4:1.

By'means of this construction, when it is desired to toast the other side of a slice of bread, by pulling the operating handle 40,

y outwardly, the swinging member 31 is swung outwardly in the arc of a circle away fromA the source of radiant heat, and when in its' outer position,v by means of a slight rotation of this operating handle, the slice holder may be lrotated about its pivotal pin 38 Hwhereby any side of the slice may be again presented to the source of radiant heat when :the swinging arm is permitted to be swung back into toasting position by means ofthe the pivotal construction, the-slice holder may4 bejrotatedso lthat the operator may not only toast the opposite side, but may retoast the `same side if it has not lbeen sufficiently toasted.

It will-be apparent from the above that the present device embraces a most economically constructed toaster wherein a single operating member provi-des means at the will of the operator for eecting the desired -toasting of the slice of bread.

It will be obvious that minor .changes in the details of construction and the arran ement of the parts may be made without eparting from the spirit of the invention, asl

set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, i's-.-

1. ln a toaster, a support including spaced end plates, means for supporting therebetween a source of radiant heat, a substantially U-shaped bracket vertically pivoted to one of said end plates and adapted to swing outwardly away from said source of heat, a

slice holder mounted on al vertical axis on the free ends of said bracket, a turning knob4 on said pivot wherebv said bracket may be swung outwardly. and the slice holder rotated about its pivot to present either side thereof to the source of heat.

2. In a toaster/a support including spaced end plates, means for supporting therebetween a source of radiant heat, a substantially [Ul-shaped bracket vertically pivoted to 4one of said end plates and adapted to swing outwardly away fromsaid source of heat, a slice holder pivotally mounted inthe free end .of said bracket, a hand knob secured lte theupper pivot of said sliceholder whereby said bracket may be swung outwardly and xsaid slice holder rotatedabout'its pivot to present either side of the slice holder -to the source of heat. Y

3. In a toaster, a support including'spacedv end plates and upper and lower supports for a source of radiant heat, a substantially U- shaped bracket arranged with its arms extending horizontally and hinged on vertical pivots at its intermediate portion to an end plate so as to swing outwardly from said source of heat, means tending to inaintain said bracket in inwardly spaced position relatively to `said source of heat, a slice holder'having upper and lower studs pivotally mounted on the upper and lower arms v respectively, of saidbraoket, and a turning 15 f knob rigid with `the upper portion of the upper stud projecting through thevupper arm of said'bracket whereby said slice holder ma) be swung outwardly and rotated about its' pivots to present either side of said slice 20 holder to said source of heat.

In testimony whereof, I aiix my signature.

MAURICE F. FITZGERALD. 

